Immortality Suits You
by FeastofDeath
Summary: Instead of killing Hades' remaining children, Nico and Bianca Di Angelo, Poseidon convinces Zeus to make them immortal heirs to Olympus instead, as an alternative to stopping the prophecy from coming true. Forty years later, the same thing is done to runaway Thalia Grace and five years later, to a certain Percy Jackson who refuses to utter even a single word.
1. Nico Di Angelo

**Chapter I  
**_**Nico Di Angelo**_**  
**_"Your death would be great for me."_

* * *

It was inevitable.

All great powers had a time where they may be usurped. The gods had known this, anticipated it even, the moment they had sent their dear father into the pits of Tartarus. It was like a sick never-ending family tradition. Pull down those who were on top, replace them, gain power, stop, rewind, do it all over again.

Still, despite the many challenges and many obstacles, despite the family feuds, and that one never-spoken- again moment they underwent Family therapy, the Olympians had hoped that maybe they would be the one exception to the rule, that they would be the lucky ones left alone by Fate, allowed to reign freely and peacefully until the earth eventually ends and they've had all their fun.

But of course, it was never going to be that easy, was it?

_A half-blood of the eldest gods  
Shall reach sixteen against all odds.  
And see the world in endless sleep.  
The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap.  
A single choice shall end his days.  
Olympus to preserve or raze._

A young girl, a prophecy told to the fourteen stoic gods and goddesses that looked over Olympus with different views and different insights.

Hera pursed her lips in distaste, her hand on her throne flinching in annoyance. Of course, another illegitimate child of either her husband's or his brothers' would be the one to cause them trouble in the future.

"Raise?" Hermes was the first to inquire softly.

"Raze." Aphrodite was the one who, surprisingly, answered. "R-A-Z-E, to _destroy_."

The gods shifted in discomfort, Ares being the one to offer his dissatisfaction first. "A brat's decision will be what saves us? Is this a joke?" He shot Apollo a look, being the god of Prophecy and the one who brought about the Oracle's existence.

The sun god tilted his head, looking strangely formal and serious without his Ray-ban sunglasses on, although no one doubted he had stuffed it somewhere in his toga during meetings like these. "No, I don't think this is a joke." He sighed dramatically as Artemis narrowed her eyes at him. "You wanted me to create a way for us to be warned when something major is about to happen, I get us an Oracle. And the first time she makes a major prophecy, you snap at me. Is gratitude really so hard in this family?"

Hephaestus grunted, murmuring something about being able to create a machine for such a purpose- when suddenly Zeus smashed his fist against the arm of his throne, "SILENCE!"

At once, the small murmurs that had erupted after the prophecy, quieted and everyone turned to the king of gods as Zeus looked at his brothers.

Poseidon's face was a calm, unreadable mask. Sea green eyes gave nothing away as he looked at Zeus with equal suspicion. Turning to their eldest brother, Hades had the same nonchalant expression, although something in those dark eyes seemed calculating and maybe even worried.

There was still a great rift between the brothers especially since World War II had recently occurred. The god of the Underworld's powerful children against his brothers' offsprings.

And the loss- the _loss_ was a great one.

Not only had both sides sacrificed their own children over some petty fight between them, but the whole world had been affected by the uncontrollable power each half-blood wielded.

Earthquakes, unexplainable thunderstorms, monsters, and the undead walking amongst the living- Hermes who had been so busy before was nearly going crazy with all the casualties and cover ups he had to _do_ to help the mortals move on.

And now this, a child, a mere _half-blood_ was going to decide their fates. And not just _any half-blood_, a half-blood sired by the _eldest gods_, meaning _them_- any child younger than sixteen was going to either destroy them or save them.

The three of them had barely any demigods of their blood left. Only two small children remained for Hades, a few for Poseidon and Zeus as well.

But there was a major difference among their children.

Poseidon and Zeus' children were all well above the age of sixteen, therefore, no longer candidates of the Great Prophecy- and if they found out about Hades' hidden children-

"Is there any way at all," Athena was the one who broke the trance of the three as she fixed her stormy gaze at the stoic Oracle. "To prevent such a disaster from occurring? Or else to ensure that the child will choose correctly?"

"The choice depends on the person who must choose," The Oracle said in a humble tone that still echoed across the chamber. Even the crackle of Hestia's hearth had muted. "Outside influences may change the mind, but in the end it is up to the child. However," The young lady looked up, meeting the gaze of Apollo, "There is a way to _delay _it."

"An oath," Artemis interrupted her brother who began to open his mouth. She smiled down at the Oracle who smiled back at her. "Something nearly identical to my own. A binding agreement not to sire anymore children."

"If this will be put up to vote, let it be known that I agree immediately." Hera said haughtily as Dionysus rolled his eyes in a mock gesture of 'of course, you do'.

"As do I." Demeter shot her son-in-law a look of pure loathing.

"It is the wise choice." Athena nodded in agreement.

Aphrodite pouted in annoyance. She enjoyed the elder gods' affairs as much as she enjoyed her own. Agreeing to this would mean lesser gossip. Hera shot her a look that made her roll her eyes.

Zeus' jaw clenched at the prospect of no more affairs with mortal women while Poseidon took it into stride, looking away in an attempt of nonchalance. Hades seemed less perturbed, seeing as he loved his wife very much and the only reason he was unfaithful was because half the year she returned to her mother and left him often feeling lonely.

"Very well, we shall vote on this." Zeus tried to be dignified, ignoring the smile forming on Hera's lips. "Those in favor of the Oath to keep from siring anymore children," He gritted his teeth, "Say I."

"I." Everyone except Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades intoned. Although Ares coughed into his fist, trying to disguise the subtle statement 'sucks to be you'. The lord of the Skies gave him a glare.

"Majority of the Olympians have spoken. The Oath must be carried out for our own safety and protection." Athena intoned gravely, "Father, if you may."

"I swear," Zeus grumbled and Hera reached out a hand to clasp her husband's. The grip was tight and the smile on his wife's face wasn't all that friendly. The thunder god winced, "I swear on the River Styx not to sire another demigod."

_BOOM!_

The room shook with the force of the oath.

"Poseidon." Athena said, not hiding her distaste.

"I swear on the River Styx as well." The god of the Oceans said.

_BOOM!_

"And last _but_ not the least, Hades." Stormy gray eyes turned to eldest of the brothers. The lord of the Underworld steeled himself. It would be so easy to defy his brothers and say 'no' to all these foolishness. Either way, his children would most likely be the candidates, and he could use them to finally, _finally_ put his little brothers at their rightful places.

"You lost the war Hades," Demeter reminded him, her lips curving into a mocking smirk, "Do not forget that: You. Have. _Lost_."

Growling, Hades glared at her as he opened his mouth and unwillingly let out the words, "_I swear on the River Styx not to sire anymore half-blood_."

With one final _BOOM!_ the room quieted. Hestia quietly made the flames brighter as the atmosphere of the Oath settled amongst them.

"Well, if that is all, it's best if I be off." Hermes said with a great sigh. "A lot of things to do at the mortal world. Call _only_ if it's _really _urgent." He stood up and bowed stiffly at Zeus' direction, "Father."

The old god waved him away as he vanished on the spot. The other Olympians began to leave as well.

"At least this will guarantee several years of faithfulness. I like this year's winter solstice meeting, you should make Oaths like that more often." Hera told her husband as they exited.

Poseidon nodded to his nieces and nephews before leaving on the spot, bringing the scent of the ocean with him. The room began to empty until Apollo, Hades, Hestia, and the Oracle were the only ones left.

Hades was about to depart, annoyed as always at everyone's indifference towards him when Apollo called to him.

"Ah, uncle! Not leaving so soon are you? You only come once a year too!" The sun god said with a wide grin. Hades scowled at him and was about to say something rude when the smile dropped off of the usually cheerful god's face and he gestured to the Oracle, "Although, I think you should stay longer this time. My beloved oracle seems to want to say something to you before you leave."

"Lord Hades," The Oracle of Delphi said politely as Apollo gave him a cheerful wave and vanished on the spot. "There is something of pressing matter that I must tell you."

"What is it, child? I am in quite a hurry." He grumbled impatiently, he had to check on Maria and their children as soon as he could.

"It will be just a few words. An advice if you may." Unnerving eyes glanced up at him, both young yet somehow old with wisdom and the knowledge of the future, "Hide them as soon as you can, because the consequences otherwise will may not be to your liking."

Black eyes widened and Hades' expression became set and serious as shadows overtook his form, effectively transporting him to wherever it was he was going.

The young oracle bowed her head and left.

She had done what she could.

* * *

Zeus was watching them.

He had been watching as his brother, Hades, powerful lord of the Underworld, nearly begged on his knees to his mortal lover to come with him to the Underworld. He was so desperate to get her to come with him, to bring the children, and to build her and them a palace in the most desolate place in the world. He knew he was hiding something.

Zeus snorted.

His brother was pathetic. This was why _he_ did not rule over the gods. And as the king of gods, it was his job to ensure their safety. With that thought, he raised his master bolt, preparing to snuff out the existence of both the children and the woman, watching as she turned to go back to the house to get something-

"Wait, brother." A gentle voice stopped him, and the lord of the Skies scowled down at his other elder brother, Poseidon. Green eyes were calm, his expression marred by a gentle frown across his features.

"What is it, Poseidon? Can you not see that I am eliminating possible candidates for the Great Prophecy?" Zeus said with a challenging tone.

"Yes, I can see what you are doing and I know you have thought this through with Athena whilst conversing behind our backs." The king of the Seas in an understanding tone. "However, I still think there is another solution to this." Poseidon said, his sea-green eyes serious, holding his brother's glare.

Zeus did not speak, urging him to speak his mind lest he blast him himself.

Poseidon conceded. "Why not, make the boy and his sister immortal?"

Silence.

"What?" Zeus finally growled, as though he misheard. "Hades' children? Immortal?" When Poseidon nodded, the king of gods grumbled in disbelief. "Insanity! You simply do not give immortality away! It is the greatest gift! One must prove himself before he can receive such blessing! A great sacrifice must be given!" He roared and the sky darkened and thundered to express his negation at such an offer.

"Listen, listen…" The lord of the Seas, said calmly. His hands were raised in a placating gesture. "You and I have lost our children in the War-"

Zeus eyes became a darker shade, his eyebrows furrowing, "Exactly! Hades' fault! Our children _dead _because of his bitterness-"

"We are the cause of such bitterness brother. We do not welcome him here, and his children aren't welcome even amongst humans. We are at fault as much as he is." Poseidon stated in a steely tone that made Zeus quiet. "Hades has lost most of his children too. You and I both know how it feels to lose our children. I do not wish to place him in such pain again, and neither should you."

"But if we do not kill his children, our home-"

"-will be safe if we took the necessary measures. Which is why, I have offered the choice of immortality." Poseidon stated calmly. "When the children reach the age of fifteen we can bestow immortality onto them, stopping them from aging. And the prophecy will be prevented for the time being."

"And?" Zeus said, his tone hard, eyes glaring at his elder brother. "What do we do with the children? Where will they live? They cannot live amongst mortals! And they will most definitely not be allowed to see their mother again after being granted such a gift!"

"They can live with Hades. He has no children of his own in his realm." The Earthshaker suggested.

"You wish for them to live in such a dreary place?"

"They can come to Olympus as well, as much as they wish."

"And what sort of god or goddess would they be? Misery? Fear? Do you wish to bestow these titles to such children?" Zeus challenged, he was humoring his brother but he was truly curious to the answer.

"Why not make them a prince and princess of the Underworld? A prince and princess of Olympus?" The King of the Seas offered and the skies rumbled with Zeus disbelief.

"I do not approve."

"Your vote is not the only one that counts brother. Why don't we call in the Council once more, and call the oracle of Delphi for her advice?" Green eyes shone wisely and the King of the gods gritted his teeth.

"Very well." And Zeus shot his thunderbolt onto the ground, effectively creating a loud boom that would tell the other gods and goddesses to gather _again_. "Although it's safe to say, the Council will most likely be on my side this time."

This was going to be a decision they all had to meet upon, once more.

* * *

"So you're telling me, that _Poseidon_ proposed to name Hades' children as royalties of our realm- as well as turn them immortal?" Athena stated. Her stormy grey eyes were calculating as she looked at the serene king of the Oceans.

"And by doing so, will this affect the prophecy in any way?" Hermes asked the Oracle of Delphi tiredly. She knelt in front of them respectfully.

"Nothing will change. No good or bad will come from it, everything will stay the same." The young Oracle stated calmly.

"A princess of Olympus…" Artemis muttered softly. "This is an interesting proposition."

"It is ludicrous! Hades' _children_, named a prince and princess of his realm and of Olympus! I do not like this idea!" Zeus roared as the skies rumbled once more.

"I am with my husband on this." Hera said calmly.

"Well, I think it's a splendid idea! A princess to dress up with and a prince to do makeovers on! So lovely!" Aphrodite squealed as she looked over to Ares.

"Will there be more fights? Or less?" Ares asked seriously.

"More brats…" Dionysus groaned. "We need _less _brats!"

"They need to eat more cereal! And if we _have_ _to _raise them, then they should work as farmers for six months!" Demeter said in retaliation. "It'll be good for character building!"

"I think it'll make a great haiku!" Apollo said, smiling widely, effectively showing them his pearly whites. It seemed as though the serious discussion before had not affected him. "So technically, I'm all for it!"

"Let's stop talking and just vote on this already." Hephaestus grumbled. "I'm working on something back at the forges. And no more interruptions, _please_."

"Yes, let's." Athena said abruptly, to end anymore discussions. Her expression was unreadable.

Hermes sighed, "Those in favor of making Nico and Bianca Di Angelo immortal, raise your hands."

Aphrodite, Artemis, Poseidon, Apollo, Hermes, and _surprisingly_ Athena and Ares, raised their hands. Zeus eyes were wide with disbelief.

"And those who are against…?" Hermes said and Zeus shot his hand up, as Hera, Hephaestus, Dionysus, and Demeter followed his example.

Blue eyes looked about, glaring at the other gods to change their decision. He focused on Ares who shrugged and grinned showing off his teeth, "I like being a rebel." But everyone else were surprisingly firm on their choice and the lord of the Sky let his hand down defeat.

"The council has made its decision." Zeus said as he half-heartedly slammed his master bolt- turned-staff onto the ground.

The Oracle smiled as she bowed her head in recognition to the decision made. It may not have changed anything, but I had at least saved three more lives.

"Immortal?" Hades asked, surprised and disbelieving as the Oracle of Delphi nodded.

"Yes, your brother, Poseidon himself, stopped lord Zeus and offered a compromise." The young girl said, her normally serious face morphing into a smile as she glimpsed Hades surprised expression. Beside him, Maria, who was listening in, smiled as well.

"B-But- To be prince and a princess- _my_ daughter and son?" Hades asked, clearly very shocked.

"I told you, my dear." Maria said as she placed a delicate hand on the god's shoulder. "They are your family. They will not be so cruel."

"Of course, this still depends on your decision, my lord." The young oracle said with an inclination of her head. "You can choose to runaway or to accept this offer. However once the kids are turned immortal, they cannot see their mortal parent again."

"Maria." Hades said, his face pained. His mortal lover looked calm as she nodded although her eyes were dark and tinged with sadness but also with resolve.

"I would prefer the knowledge that our children are safe and healthy. To know that they are _immortal_, that would be an honor for our family." Maria said with a reassuring smile. "I will treasure the remaining time I have with them."

Hades nodded as he leaned in and gave the brave and kind woman a kiss on the forehead. "You are a wonderful woman."

"Yes, and you are a wonderful man." Maria said with a smile as she took his hand in hers. "Now, why don't we go on a picnic with the children, I'm sure they will like that." She said as she led them away and back into the house.

The Oracle waved at the two before she turned and let her smile drop.

"Even so, there will be trials ahead." She stated in a neutral tone. "The prophecy demands it."

* * *

Many years later…

"But I want to be an immortal now!" Nico said in an angry tone, his usually wide black eyes, narrowed with anger and tears threatened to spill from them.

"Nico…" Hades began, raising his hands in a complacent manner. But the young boy of fourteen did not listen and shook his head defiantly.

"Mother's dead, Bianca- Bianca left me to join those _stupid_ hunters…" Nico said as he tried to keep the hurt in. His breath still hitched and he closed his eyes, trying to control his emotions. "I've been attending these stupid boarding schools and keep getting kicked out- and I'm tired of it! I want to live with you! I want to visit Olympus!"

"But to do that you have to be-" Hades began as he massaged his temples from the stress. Nico nodded vigorously with interest.

"To be an immortal! And I don't mind! I can live with you and be your advisor father!" Nico said eagerly and Hades nearly snorted but he cleared his throat instead. No use offending the already distraught teen.

"But the deal with lord Zeus was fifteen, he will not so easily agree to-"

"Then tell uncle Poseidon! He can help convince him again!" Nico said, widening his eyes so as to soften his father. Dark eyes widened in surprise as the young boy looked at him innocently.

"You-" Hades said, almost sputtering. "How do you know about your uncle- I mean, about Poseidon?" He asked, clearly bewildered.

"Uhm…" Nico looked down, embarrassed. "The- The oracle told me about what happened before and how he helped you-"

"Nonsense!" Hades roared as he slammed his fist onto the table in anger. Nico jumped in surprise. "That brother of mine is only playing tricks! His kindness is merely an illusion- a mask to-!"

"Father." Nico deadpanned, dropping the act of a hurt teenager and shifting immediately to offense. "You are grateful to uncle, why is it so hard to admit?"

"I am not-" But Hades closed his mouth when he saw the raised-eyebrow look his son gave him. He pursed his lips and looked away in denial. "Go to your room! I will think about your _request_."

There was clear hesitation, and the young boy wondered if his plea would _really be considered_. But sensing that saying anymore might damage any chances, Nico bowed his head and ran to his room, knowing that he had done all he can and more.

* * *

If Zeus was scary when he heard about him, he was even scarier in his ten feet form, glowering down at the young _Di Angelo _as he gulped nervously, seriously rethinking his so called 'smart decision'.

"You are fourteen?" Zeus asked in a loud booming voice.

Nico wanted to say, "Uh, yes." But unfortunately, all that came out was a squeak of affirmation.

"And you wish to become immortal, looking like _this_." And _this_ was referring to Nico's current stature, thin arms and legs.

The child of the Underworld frowned and he was about to say, "Hey!" But Zeus' glare cut his temporary courage in half and he settled with a nod. Although he had heard that by turning immortal his looks would increase exponentially and he would grow into his arms and legs without looking quite so awkward anymore, so Zeus really had nothing to complain about.

Also, _he_ was the one giving up the thought of growing up. And he was doing the gods a favor by being turned so early. That way they don't have to worry about the child of the Prophecy being him.

Zeus let out a long suffering sigh as he held up his hand. "Very well, we shall grant this _blessing_ upon you." He said the word as though asking _why you_? And he raised his hand towards Nico's direction, the other gods following his example.

"Nico Di Angelo." Hermes said as he and the other gods focused their powers onto the young black-haired boy that looked quite scared out of his wits. "From this day onwards, you will be known as the immortal heir to your father's realm and a respected Prince of the Olympus council."

The boy turned to his father who gave him an encouraging nod. The teen nodded and closed his eyes waiting for the inevitable. And just like that, a bright light shone and enveloped the young teenager as Nico felt a searing pain burn across his skin.

And with those words and pain, Nico Di Angelo, formerly a normal demigod child of Hades, knew no more.

* * *

She was there when he woke up.

His _older_ sister, Bianca Di Angelo, although she looked younger now, especially with her hair down like that. Also, there was the fact that she became a hunter at the age of twelve, the same age that Lady Artemis chose to mold her appearance to.

That realization made Nico's heart burn with a familiar pain as he blinked back the burning feeling in his eyes.

His sister smiled at him. She smiled like everything was fine, as though she didn't pledge herself to a life away from him, as though she didn't abandon him. "You're finally awake, my prince."

At those words, the young Di Angelo sat up and edged away from the hunter with narrowed black eyes. He scowled at her, "Bianca. What are you doing here?"

Bianca frowned and then she spoke in the _big sister _tone that always annoyed him, but now it just burned him with anger, especially since Bianca _actually _thinks that she could still be his big sister after leaving him just like that. "Lady Artemis gave me permission to watch your road down to immortality! Don't be so rude Nico, you should be thankful I'm here."

"You left me alone." Nico said in a sad tone that made Bianca's eyes snap towards him. "Then you come back, but then I know you'll leave again. That's not something I should be happy about Bianca. You _chose _a life that purposely left me out!"

"Nico..." Bianca said, her expression morphing into one of guilt. "I-"

"We could've been together now!" Nico said, his eyes wide with betrayal. "You and I, princess and prince of father's realm! Of Olympus! We were going to help dad get a throne in Olympus! We were going to show the other demigods that Hades' children were just as good as uncle Zeus' and uncle Poseidon's!" Black eyes were filled with tears as Bianca breathed in sharply. "You were going to stay beside me. You promised you were never going to leave me..."

There was silence as Bianca looked down at the floor, her eyes teary and her fists white knuckled on her lap. Suddenly she took a deep breath, saying the only words she could think of at the moment, "I'm sorry Nico. I'm- I'm sorry."

Before Nico could say anything, the door to the room he was staying in, opened. A hunter of Artemis came in. Someone named Zoe. She looked at Nico with a scowl before turning to Bianca. "Lady Artemis sent me to get you. It's time to leave."

Bianca's face fell and she looked at Nico who turned his sight to the window. "I should leave now."

"You should." Nico said in a loud voice, his emotions overwhelming him. He closed his eyes.

Bianca looked at the other in open hurt, before she stood up and bowed at Nico's direction. When she passed by Zoe, the other girl did the same but with pursed lips.

"We'll be leaving then." Zoe said, as she closed the door gently, leaving Nico by himself.

The now immortal child, hugged his knees to his chest biting his lips in frustration.

This was his start to a long forever.

* * *

**Author's note: **Edit version of Chapter I. Nothing of importance was edited, it was an attempt to make the characters more IC. Hope it is to your liking, mistakes are lesser too. The next chapter is about Thalia, forty years later after Nico's descent into immortality.


	2. Thalia Grace

**Chapter II  
**_**Thalia Grace  
**__"Oh, scullion. You're calling me a scullion? What the heck is a scullion?"_

* * *

_**Forty years later…**_

She had been on the run for a long, _long_ time.

After finally having the courage to run away from that woman, who dared to call herself a _mother_, Thalia Grace has been chased by the monsters who were out for her blood the _moment_ she stepped out of that rundown apartment that was supposed to be her home.

_I guess this is sort of _better_ than staying in that wench's house. _Thalia thought grimly as she looked around for any signs of trouble in the darkness.

It might be weird and disrespectful to hear someone talk about their mother like that, but in Thalia's case, the insult was mild. Also, she had a feeling that after years of child neglect, she had earned the right to do so in the very least.

Once a popularly known actress, her mother had sunk to the lowest of the low. A drug addict and a drinker to booth, she was the worst mother you could possibly think of. She didn't care for her children, even being directly involved with the kidnapping of Thalia's only brother, Jason Grace.

She had been searching, searching for so long and for so hard, but she never found him and the only explanation she could come up, with her brother's sudden disappearance, was death.

That thought ripped her heart in two, distracting her and causing her to fall face-flat onto the hard asphalt.

"Damn it!" She cried up onto the sky as the clouds thundered and rumbled in reaction to her emotions.

It was one of those things she couldn't get. The sky always seemed to know how she felt. On days she was angry and scared, the sky would turn dark and gray, thunder rolling across the sky and lightning flashing suddenly.

A small whimper was heard from somewhere nearby and blue eyes looked up at the sound. A frown of confusion decorated Thalia's scratched face.

_A monster? _She thought to herself as she got to her feet and bent in a defensive stance, electric blue eyes narrowing.

The streets were deserted. The only place where a person, or most likely a monster, could hide was a dark alleyway, nearby. Gathering her courage, the young Grace slowly made her way to the dark hiding place.

It was empty.

Save for a trashcan with a lid. But was too small to house any monsters, but then again some monsters shape-shifted and it's better to be safe than sorry.

Inhaling deeply, the young demigod tiptoed, a hidden blade in her hand, to the trashcan and pulled the lid up-

"Whoah!" Thalia said as she dodged a flying hammer coming from a blond little girl that started to climb her way out of her hiding place.

Seeing the attacker about the fled, Thalia grabbed the other by her shirt and pulled her back.

"Let me go! I hate monsters!" She screeched as she flailed her arms and legs.

"Easy there!" Thalia said in a caring tone as she tried not to get hit by the child's wild kicks and punches. "Relax, I'm not a monster. I hunt monsters."

The child stopped, her gray eyes strangely intelligent-looking despite being so young. "You're like me?"

"A half-blood?" Thalia asked, blue eyes lighting up. "Are you a half-blood too?"

The child nodded slowly, "My mom spoke to me a few times before. She said she was called Athena."

Blinking, Thalia smiled. "So you're the wisdom goddess' child. You must be pretty smart!"

The blonde-haired kid nodded vigorously. "I am!"

Thalia chuckled, "Good, then I could use your help. Are you alone?" Then she looked at the wet and mud crusted pajamas. "Did you runaway too?"

The little girl swallowed but nodded, her eyes narrowed as though she expected to be scolded, but Thalia just smiled.

"Cool, I ran away too. Let's be fellow runaways. My name is Thalia, what's yours?"

"I'm Annabeth. Annabeth Chase."

* * *

"Thalia." A soft voice woke her from her slumber. "Thalia."

Electric blue eyes widened as the young teen warrior jumped up. She pulled out a knife from her pocket, standing in front of a sleeping Annabeth protectively.

"Relax." A voice as calm as the ocean sounded, and the young demigod twirled her knife aiming at the place she heard the voice from.

Her wrist was caught in a warm and gentle grip. She opened her mouth to scream and curse, but she stopped when she saw the person who caught her by the arm.

It was a teen, older than her- looking almost sixteen, wearing Bermuda triangle shorts and a Hawaiian shirt that fit his image despite how cold it actually was and the fact that it was night and normal people did not wear such things at night. He had jet black hair, calm sea green eyes that shone even in the darkness, and a lean body that radiated a powerful aura.

"My name is Poseidon." The kind teen said with a smile that made the corner of his eyes crinkle and his green eyes seem warmer. "I'm your uncle."

"Uhm." Was the only intelligent thing Thalia could utter as the other finally released his grip. "_Uncle_ as in supposedly very _ancient_ uncle Poseidon? Because I have a hard time believing that, especially when you look like…" She gestured to the teen in front of her.

"Sorry, I thought you'd be less startled if you were faced with someone closer to your age." He said with a kind smile.

"Right." Thalia said with a roll of her eyes. There was a few minutes of silence before the fact that a _god_ was in front of her started to sink in. "So, should I _bow_ to you now or-"

"No need for formalities, my niece." Poseidon said kindly. "I have come to you bringing gifts."

Thalia raised an eyebrow. "Gifts?"

"As gods, we are not allowed to interfere with the destiny of our children. However we are permitted to guide them to safety once in a while." Poseidon stated as he suddenly handed Thalia a shiny, silver, metal bracelet and Mac canister, to which Thalia only gave confused looks to.

"Gifts from Athena for saving her daughter." Poseidon stated as an explanation.

"Oh cool. An accessory and some sort of can. This will definitely help in beheading monsters. Thanks." Thalia said trying to sound enthusiastic but coming off a sarcastic and tired instead.

"Indeed they will." The god of the seas said with a smile, not getting her sarcasm from what she could tell. Before she could ask however, the two objects suddenly shifted shapes when they were handed to her.

"Holy-" Thalia let out a surprised exclamation as the bracelet turned into a shield, with a terrifying image of Medusa's head while the Mac canister turned into a spear.

"I hope this will help you on the journey ahead." The lord of the Ocean gave her another gentle smile as he stepped back. "We have already sent for a satyr from Camp, he will be here soon and he will help you get to safety."

"A satyr?" Thalia repeated, but she knew better than to question a gift and guidance from the gods. "Thanks, although I didn't expect you to be a _messenger_, lord Poseidon."

"Call me uncle." The Earthshaker stated. "And would it be hard to believe if I said that I only wanted to see my niece?"

Thalia nodded, "Yeah, well, you hardly interact with your children so-"

"We keep away for your own safety." Poseidon said sadly as he turned away. "Well, I best be off, I have to go tell Athena that you have received the gifts."

"Thanks again!" Thalia waved. The god paused as he turned to her, a frown on his features this time. She wondered if she said something wrong.

"Tell me, you're turning fifteen, yes?"

"Yeah." Thalia answered, blinking. She didn't expect the gods to keep track of her age. Maybe he guessed?

"In a few days' time?" Poseidon pushed and Thalia nodded. A sigh escaped the young looking god's lips. "Well advance happy birthday, my niece." Was all he said before his form began to glow just as Thalia closed her eyes.

When she opened them, the lord of the Seas was gone. The young half-blood shook her head.

The gods were so weird sometimes.

* * *

"Hey goat kid!" Thalia shouted as she raised her shield and spear. "Grab Annabeth and run!"

"Wait-!" Annabeth yelled as the satyr picked her up nervously and ran as fast as he could towards the camp borders.

Thalia's electric blue eyes shone dangerously, the skies darkening and rumbling as she raised her spear and aimed at the several monsters attacking her.

It was the longest battle she had ever been in.

She wasn't even thinking anymore, not even paying attention to her surroundings as she slashed and kicked and punched and spun and stabbed around her. Her arms felt heavy like lead, her mortal body was getting slower and slower, she could feel her blood and sweat mixing as she huffed and breathed heavily with every movement, every jostle of her injuries.

She knew she wouldn't last any longer.

And just as she thought this, she heard a battle cry and turned just in time to see a Minotaur headed her way, when-

A flash of bright light shone from the sky. Lightning descended onto the earth and hit the minotaur right on its horn, catching fire in front of Thalia's eyes.

"Thalia." A familiar soft voice called to her, and Thalia turned just in time to see another lightning descending towards to her, but she knew this one wouldn't hurt her, wouldn't burn her into a crisp. "Happy birthday."

And suddenly, a voice encompassed her, like the lightning was speaking to her directly as it hit her. "It's time to go to Olympus."

* * *

She was lying against white marble, in a grand palace she had only heard of in tales and read off from books she and Annabeth barely had time to scan.

"Olympus." She whispered the words as she stood up just as someone cleared his throat behind her. She spun quickly, the Mac canister turning into a spear automatically as she readied her fierce glare. But then she faltered.

Fourteen ten-feet tall, finely dressed, gods were glowering at her from where they were sitting all dressed in expensive jewelry and expertly embroided togas

Suddenly she felt ridiculously underdressed for the occasion.

"Thalia Grace." A male voice made her turn and she blinked as she met eyes with one of the gods, his Greek sandals had wings and he had a caduceus in his hand. Hermes. "Welcome to Olympus."

"Uh, I'm honored?" She stated as she tried to steady her weakening knees. The young daughter of Zeus rubbed at her cheeks, trying to scrub away the dirt that stained her skin. One of the goddesses was scrutinizing her with disapproval, as though she expected that Thalia would look like a teen dumped in a dumpster and dragged through a junk yard. She was like a strict, perfectionist mother that effectively got in the demigod's nerves.

"You should be. Especially since we are about to offer you a great gift." Said a kinder voice. It came from one of the younger looking goddesses. She had a bow on her back and an impressive set of arrows. Beside her was a widely grinning god that shone like the sun. He opened his mouth to say something but one of the gods sitting on a simple stone gray throne, interrupted him.

"I do not see why we have to bestow the gift to her, _too_. Nico is more than enough to be a prince of Olympus." A dark-haired man- she presumed it to be Hades by his ghost-wailing outfit- said in a bored tone.

The guy sitting on the grandest throne glared at him, his eyes a striking blue, something that looked strangely familiar to her. She saw it in the mirror everyday.

"Brother Zeus' daughter should not be left out of this. And I'm sure Nico will be happy to have a companion, a new family that is, _sort of_, his age." The one she recognized as her Uncle Poseidon spoke.

"Wait." Thalia's voice, although weaker than the booming god's voice, echoed through the palace. "What gift are you talking about? Who's Nico?" And then she turned to Zeus, her blue eyes wide. "And _you're_ my father? You're Zeus?"

"That is not something you should say to the King of gods." The lady beside Zeus said with pursed lips. Her obvious dislike showed in her eyes. This woman was obviously Hera.

"Sure, whatever, I'm sorry." Thalia said, placing a hand on her hips. But then she winced when she touched her injured side and fell unto a kneel.

"Thalia!" Poseidon said worriedly, but Apollo held up his hand on the demigod's direction. And before the punk girl knew it, she was able to stand up again, her body no longer feeling like it had gone through a cheese grater.

"Thank you." She gasped out as she stood up again, stretching her no longer injured arms. Of course, her _brother_- that was so weird o thin about- had healing abilities.

"Thalia Grace." Another voice, this time a woman with hard gray eyes surveyed her like an experiment. "We have called you here for something very important. Today is your fifteenth birthday."

"And…?" Thalia asked carefully. Was there something important going on that she should know about? Surely, they didn't invite her here just to throw her a birthday party, right? Did they even throw demigods birthday parties? If so, what made _her_ special?

"Sixty one years ago, a prophecy was made regarding one of our children. It is said that once that child reaches a certain age, she or he will have the power to destroy or save Olympus." Poseidon explained as electric blue eyes snapped at him. "To prevent this from happening, we swore on the River Styx not to have any more children."

"A lot of good that did." Thalia murmured under her breath. A few gods chuckled when they heard the statement, Ares snorted, Hera glared at her, and Zeus held an impassive face.

Poseidon continued, trying to fight back a smile, "The only surviving children of that time were Nico and Bianca Di Angelo, barely a few years old. To stop them from being the children of the prophecy, we made a deal with Hades to turn his children immortal in exchange for not killing them. Eight years later, Bianca Di Angelo was admitted into Artemis' immortal band of huntresses. And a few years after that, Nico was turned immortal and crowned as Prince of the Underworld and of Olympus."

"Now we extend the same gift to you." Athena stated calmly.

Thalia's blue eyes widened as she quickly got what they were saying, "What? Immortality? Be a huntress like that Bianca chick?"

Artemis gave her a small smile, "If that is what you wish, it can be so."

"Or you can be a Princess of the Skies and a heir of Olympus. Not a minor goddess and yet not mortal. Unique and important." Aphrodite said, her color changing eyes sparkling with thoughts that made Thalia shudder.

"You should be thankful. We have only ever offered such choices once." Hera said in a cold tone.

"So wait, let me get this straight…" Thalia said calmly. "After, I don't know, a few years of being on the run with a kid whose barely nine, you suddenly nicked me into this place and offer me immortality, at the same time-" She turned her eyes towards her father. "-you conveniently forgot that you've been ignoring me for practically my whole life…" She took a deep breath as she said in a sarcastic tone, "Hm, I don't know about you, but I'm having trouble seeing the _grateful _part, here_._" She said with a glare.

"I like her, she's got spunk." Ares whispered to Hermes.

Hades rolled his eyes, "See? She is being difficult! Princesses aren't supposed to be like that! Nico-"

"SILENCE!" Zeus voice boomed at the same time as the thunder. "Thalia, my daughter." The demigod flinched, she was frowning at him still. "You do not have to decide now. We will give you some time to think about this. Meanwhile, go and rest up and maybe you can meet your cousin, Prince Nico."

"Prince Nico is the only other child of the eldest gods, aside from you and Bianca." Poseidon smiled in explanation. At least one of her questions had been answered by someone who _actually_ cared.

"One of the naiads will escort you to your room." Dionysus spoke as he held up a hand and a naiad came to Thalia's aid immediately, taking her weapons.

"This way." The naiad said kindly and Thalia broke eye contact with her father to follow the creature her half brother summoned. She was too tired emotionally to deny the offer at all but she still gave them an annoyed glare anyway.

* * *

The first time she meets this Prince _Nico Di Angelo_, she found him in her room.

He was a strange contrast against the cream colored marble with delicate cloud patterns. He was all black and pale, standing out greatly against his environment.

"Prince Nico." The naiad said to her surprise. Thalia's eyes widened, so _this_ was the Nico she heard so much about? But he looked the same age as her! Her cousin was supposed to have been born some sixty years ago from what they said, but he looked barely fifteen!

Then again, Artemis looked like she was twelve and _she _was definitely older than her appearance.

Nico held up a hand, she noticed the skull ring on his middle finger. He was young, quiet, strangely emo- because of his black bangs sweeping over equally dark eyes- but he had a jaded aura around him that definitely made him seem older.

"So you're my cousin?" He said and there was a smile on his face. "Nice shirt." He said, referring to her black shirt with an arrow going through a barbie's head.

Thalia raised an eyebrow but she felt happy at the praise. "Death to all barbies, best shirt brand out there. So you're _Prince _Nico?"

Nico blinked, seemingly flustered at the same time annoyed at the title. "And you'll be 'Princess' Thalia I bet."

Thalia frowned. "I haven't decided on that yet."

Nico raised an eyebrow at that, he held up a hand to signify the naiad to leave, which she did after she placed Thalia's weapons on the table, closing the door behind her. He offered Thalia a chair which she took gratefully. "You know you don't have a choice right? We can't turn sixteen or we'll attain some strange power to either save or destroy Olympus."

"Now, tell me, would that be such a bad thing?" Thalia said in an innocent tone. Thunder roared outside in response to her words and Nico looked outside, startled, before looking at Thalia.

"You have guts." He said and she smiled happily.

"Thanks, you're not so bad yourself Death Breathe." She said and Nico's expression puckered.

"You heard about the Prince of the Underworld thing." He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "Well, I'll find a nickname for you soon. How about Shock head?"

"Excuse me?"

"You know, since lightning causes shock and-" Nico said as he tried to explain with his hands.

Thalia laughed, "Okay, okay I get it. Stop it already, geez."

Nico huffed out a laugh as well before he turned somber. "So, are you accepting the immortal thing or not? But then again you don't have a choice."

Thalia's face fell. "But I don't want to be a _princess _of anything! Being a huntress seems so much better." At the word _huntress_, Nico's face darkened. "Erm, Nico?" The demigod asked in worry. She wondered if it was alright to act so familiar with him. Before she could think that through, she remembered what Artemis said and immediately pinpointed why the boy's mood seemed to darken, "Oh right, your sister is one of the huntresses right? Do you hate the huntresses?"

"She chose them over me." Nico said and his expression gave way to one of sadness which caught at Thalia's heart. "The huntresses took away my only other family, aside from dad. As though losing mom wasn't hard enough."

Thalia's throat constricted, "Nico."

But Nico just shook his head and stood up. "Sorry, I should be letting you rest. You don't have to think about this right now." He said, immediately turning his back on his new friend. "I'll be watching there when you make your decision. Good luck."

Thalia watched as her cousin walked towards the door, his shoulders slumping a bit in something akin to defeat.

"Oh, and Thalia…" Nico said as he gave her a sideway glance, a hesitant smile on his lips. "If you chose the huntresses, well- It was nice meeting you either way." He said before he left.

When he was gone, the young daughter of Zeus looked down at the ground and then at her hands. She closed them into fists and nodded to herself.

Well, she had a decision to make.

* * *

"And?" Athena asked as Thalia faced the gods for the second time that day. Nico was there, like he said, dressed in strangely black formal clothes, a silver circlet with a shining obsidian stone in the middle complimented his dark hair. His face was impassive and he was looking at Athena. "What is your decision?"

Thalia had spent a long time looking at herself in the mirror. She had looked at herself up and down, from her spiky dark hair down to her ratty old combat boots, and she had decided that she just couldn't see the girl in front of her becoming some dainty old princess.

But-

"I'll accept immortality and the title of Princess." She managed to say the last word without flinching. The half-blood saw Artemis' disappointed face but she did not miss Nico's surprised and happy one.

Thalia smiled to herself.

It's been a long time since she'd had a brother to take care of.

"Very well." Her father, Zeus, stood up, a rare smile of approval on his face. "Thalia Grace, with the power of the council behind me, I will now bestow upon you one of the greatest gifts to be given to any mortal hero or heroine." He said in a loud voice as he held up his hands, his family followed his example. "I give you my blessing, Princess Thalia Grace, heir to the Skies."

And light shone unto her, like the sun coming out from behind the clouds, as Thalia closed her eyes.

This was her beginning to a new eternity.

* * *

**Author's notes: **Edit of Chapter two is done! I took advantage of the fact that Nico needs a sister and Thalia misses her brother, here. Things seem to be going well. On to the third one!


	3. Poseidon's Wish

**Chapter III  
_Poseidon's Wish_**

___"This was a very dangerous thing to do. Even for you. If I hadn't looked before I blasted, you would now be a puddle of seawater."_**  
****  
**

* * *

_Four years later…_

Poseidon guessed he should be happy.

His family had a stronger bond than before, they had two wonderful new additions to the family, he and his brothers no longer argued _that_ much, and the dreaded prophecy will never be upon them what with their children being turned into immortals.

But still…

"But father, mother is suffocating me!" The lord of the Seas heard the huffed tone not far. He turned and saw to his amusement, his brother, Zeus, having his daily walk with his immortal daughter, Thalia.

The young princess was wearing a Greek style white _peplos_ and _chiton _with a gold tone belt and matching golden armbands on both arms with ancient Greek inscriptions, paired with an amulet made from celestial bronze- for protection- around her neck. On her head was a golden wreath which she wore in place of the circlet or tiara that symbolized her status.

"She is only doing what she thinks is best for you." Zeus said in a tired tone that indicated that they had had this conversation several times before. "Be glad that she takes notice of you at all." He grumbled, remembering that Hera was still ignoring him because of their recent fight.

A scowl came across the princess of the Skies expression. "She won't let me fool around with Ares or visit Hephaestus in the forges. She says a _proper princess_ doesn't go around fighting or visiting dirty forges."

"You're her first daughter, she only wants what's best for you. You know how she gets about perfect families." Zeus said in a gruff tone and Thalia quieted at the word _family_.

Poseidon smiled from where he sat.

No one in the Council would have ever guessed that Hera would willingly let herself get close with one of her husband's illegitimate children. That's why it was a surprise for many when it was Hera who first came to comfort the child when the news of Thalia's mother came to them.

"_She has passed on." Hades said in a neutral tone, as though they were discussing a business deal rather than someone's death. "I have reason to believe she has treated you unfairly and I assure you she will get what she rightly deserves."_

_Thalia's electric blue eyes widened, her face paling as she looked away. Her fists clenched and everyone noticed the tension in her jaw as she gritted her teeth._

"_Your cousin, Prince Nico, is the one settling the affairs. Do not worry about it, daughter." Zeus said in a calming tone, thinking that Thalia wished to deliver the punishment herself. "He will properly execute what has to be done, I am sure." He added the last part with uncertainty, but even so, it still brought a surprised look on Hades' face._

"_I… see…" Thalia said in a hoarse tone, and Poseidon's eyes widened as he saw tears form at the corner of her eyes. "Mother is gone." She said in a small voice that made many exchange looks with uncertainty._

"_Yes, she is gone child." A voice said and everyone turned warily to the Queen of the gods. Her eyes were as cold as always and Thalia looked up to her with a glare. "Good riddance as well, another of your father's women off to where she belongs."_

_This made Thalia's eyes spark, her face contorting with rage as the gods flinched, Zeus frowning at his wife. The newly immortal princess gritted her teeth as she hissed, "Listen here you-"_

_But then, something very surprising happened. An action no one expected Hera to make as she gracefully but quickly came down from her throne, shifting into normal human size as she reached out and pulled Thalia into a hug._

"_Wha-?" Thalia said breathlessly, so shocked that the anger drained from her face._

"_You might not be so bad…" Hera whispered, her eyes thoughtful, unseeing, and wistful as she spoke to herself. "To still love the worst mother in the world… Maybe I do not give you enough credit."_

_The young princess choked back a sob, as she gripped the goddess' dress fearfully, her eyes frightened and teary, "Lady Hera…"_

_The goddess of marriage sighed and pulled back, her usual stern mask back as she gazed at Thalia with disapproval. "Well, this will not do. You cannot show such a face in front of the Olympians. Come, let us wipe away those silly tears. You should greet the Prince of the Underworld with a smiling face, heaven knows that he doesn't see enough of that in the Underworld-"_

_And with the gentleness people rarely see from the stern Queen, she took Thalia's hand in hers and proceeded to drag her away from the sight of the thirteene stunned Olympians. Hestia giggled from where she sat, a warm smile playing on her lips._

"It's still annoying though." Thalia grumbled and thunder sounded distantly in reaction to her mood. The King of the gods just shook his head, but a smile played on his lips as he placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder. Thalia relaxed and smiled uncertainly at her father as he said, "You'll get used to it."

Poseidon watched as the two walked out of his sight. He was entirely oblivious to the duo that appeared from the shadows at the corner of his eyes. He turned to face a scowling Hades and a defiant Nico, in surprise.

"Brother, what brings you here at this time of day?" Poseidon asked. "Do you not usually complain that death traffic is usually at its worse at this hour?"

"Spare me the questions, brother." Hades rolled his eyes. "I am here right now because I want you to talk some sense into this boy."

"Nico?" The Earthshaker said with a raised eyebrow. Said _boy_ was frowning at his father. He wasn't wearing his favorite formal Greek attire: the _chlamys_. Rather, he was sporting some dark jeans a black shirt with a skull on the front with the words '_Warning: Extremely poisonous substance wearing this_' inscribed underneath it and a dark gray jacket over it. His usual crown was absent as well.

Thanks to the dark clothes, Nico seemed paler than before. Worried, Poseidon's green eyes raked down to the side of the Prince's jacket, noticing that there was a dark stain-

"You're injured!" The lord of the Seas exclaimed as he grabbed the boy by the arm to look. He pushed the jacket to the side but instead of an injury, he only saw the ripped sides of the shirt and an uninjured patch of skin.

"Oh." Poseidon sighed in relief. "You _were_ injured."

"You didn't think I'd take him to see you, without healing him first, now did you, brother?" Hades said in an offended tone and the god of the Oceans gave a smooth chuckle.

"Do not be upset Hades, now tell me what brought you here today." Poseidon said with an inclination towards Nico who looked away.

"Well, I thought he'd listen better to _you_, since you _are_ his favorite uncle." The lord of the Underworld said the last word with much contempt. Nico rolled his eyes. "Since clearly, he thinks he's _too old_ to be lectured by his father."

"Calm down brother and just tell me what has happened." The younger god said calmly.

"This _child_," The elder god said with exasperation as the young prince glared at his father at the word, "This _boy_ jumped in front an _Orthrus_!"

Green eyes widened in disbelief as he turned to look at the dark-haired boy who looked away in embarrassment, "He did what? Nico! You may be immortal but you can still get injured!"

"Exactly!" Hades agreed.

"You should be more careful! Honestly, what were you thinking?"

"That's what I said!"

"You must have given your father a near heart attack!"

"Exac-Hey! Now, I am the lord of the Dead, I do not get heart attacks-"

"Hades must've been worried sick." Poseidon said in an understanding tone that made the eldest of the brothers stutter to a halt. Nico looked flustered. "Now, why did you jump in front of an _Orthrus_?"

The lord of the Underworld regained himself at the words, "It's because he wasn't thinking, obviously."

But Nico didn't let his father be the only one to speak. "Because it was attacking my father!"

Green eyes widened as Hades scoffed and crossed his arms. "I… see…" Said the Sea god, a smile beginning to play on his lips.

"I am an immortal _god_. Such a minor beast would not have harmed me." Hades defended.

The young Prince frowned at the ground. "My body moved on its own, okay? I'm sorry. I just couldn't help it."

The god of the Undead opened his mouth to scold some more but the lord of the Seas raised his hands to silence him. "Do not be too harsh on him brother, he only did what he did because he cares for you."

Nico seemed to deflate gratefully at those words while Hades gave him a betrayed look.

"You approve of this- of _such_ behavior?" The other said in a loud tone.

"I do not approve of recklessness." Poseidon said clearly but then he gave Nico a wink. "But I do approve of things done out of love and care."

Nico gave his uncle a bright smile while Hades glowered at his brother as he huffed and turned. "Come Nico, clearly your _uncle_ is not the right man to scold you. We should be leaving or Persephone will be irritated with us again." The dark lord said, but it was clear as he turned away that his black eyes had softened greatly.

Nico sighed but waved at Poseidon, mouthing a silent '_thank you_' as he turned to follow his father into the shadows. The lord of the Seas merely raised his hand and waved as the father-son duo vanished into the darkness, leaving the old Sea god to his thoughts once more.

What would it be like, he wondered, to have a son or daughter of his own again?

* * *

He didn't know how long he was going to last like this.

His skin was beaten black and blue, his eyes were teary, heavy, _burning_, and his breathing was ragged and harsh, his clothes were torn again and idly, he wondered how many shirts were there left to tear. His arms felt heavy, his legs were numb, and his throat hurt as he coughed.

He was eleven years old, so young and yet he felt so old. He always thought it was a miracle that he managed to survive like this, that he managed to reach the age of eleven without dying at all or committing suicide or spiraling into self-harm.

He guessed it was probably because had a light that shone for him everyday. His mother was the beacon of all his dreams and hopes and wishes- all the good things still left in this crappy world he called life. He would not turn bad, he would not hurt himself as long as it meant that she kept smiling.

That's why-

Groaning as he sat up, Percy began to calculate in his mind another huge chunk out of his allowance for shopping. Hopefully he'd find a two to three dollar t-shirt nearby and also- he really needed to wash up and cover his latest injuries, he didn't want his mom seeing them and crying herself to sleep again-

At the thought of his mother, Percy let out a shuddering breath, exhaling rapidly as he clenched the front of his already tattered and blood stained shirt. His mother, he wondered how she was. Would she have a sadder look on her face this time? Would her eyes be red rimmed again? Will she be wearing those long sleeve shirt that hid the scars on her arms to keep Percy from worrying?

Hugging his knees to his chest, Percy let himself stay in that defensive position for a few minutes.

He felt so powerless, so _alone_. He was so confused and so hurt and so angry.

He didn't understand.

His stepfather, Gabe, clearly abused his mother when he wasn't there. Clearly, Gabe caused both him and her suffering and on top of that, he had no job to maintain the rent and all of the expenses- Percy's mother did all that.

So why?

Why did his mother continue to stay with such a man? Why was it, that when things turned to the worse, she would turn to look at Percy as though, in assurance, before she smiled and faced the man with more determination?

What did she get by staying with him?

Gritting his teeth, the young boy shook his head as the clouds above began to darken, matching his mood perfectly. The winds howled as the teen covered his ears, heavily gasping as the car horns blared and people began running when they realized the turn of the weather.

The first drops of the inevitable rain came down in torrents, effectively soaking every object in sight, including the young Jackson who was grateful for the sudden coldness that seemed to numb him.

He let his tears mix with the rain as he open his mouth in sorrow, his bangs covering his eyes as he silently screamed at the sky.

Why?

_Why?_

Why won't anyone help them?

* * *

It was like a shock went through him.

They were having another one of their usual meetings in the grand throne room of Olympus. The son and daughter of Hades and Zeus respectively were seated in their respective places, by their father's feet. They had to be there so that they may exercise their own political powers and may extend useful advices- since the gods did have a habit of being side-tracked.

They were barely beginning their meeting when Poseidon had felt a great disturbance in the New York coast.

The power, the pain, the anger, the frustration lapped through him like waves on hot sand, and before he knew its he was standing up, gapping, since he realized that no river gods or minor sea gods were the cause of such powerful emotions this time.

"Uncle?" Was it Thalia or Nico who called to him, he did not know. He was trembling lightly, looking down at his hands with wide sea green eyes. He looked deep into himself, pulling at the sea's power and all seeing eyes.

There was a boy in ragged clothing, leaning against an alley near the sea. His eyes were covered by soaked bangs as he looked up with utmost despair, blood, sweat, and tears mixing with the rain of his own creation.

Poseidon gasped as he saw a hint of familiar sea green eyes.

It can't be.

"Poseidon, what is the matter?" Athena finally snapped him out of his vision. Green eyes looked at her in wonder, a mixture of delight and dread forming at the pit of his stomach as he turned and met every pair of eyes staring at him in confusion and wariness.

"My family, I have news…" Poseidon said in a tone that barely escaped shaking.

Zeus raised an eyebrow and he and Hades exchanged looks. "What is it?"

The old sea god smiled, his expression wary but also happy, "I have a son."

* * *

**Note:** _Orthrus_ a two-headed, serpent-tailed dog, slain by Heracles.


	4. Meeting Percy

**Chapter IV  
**_**Meeting Percy**_

"_Don't feel bad, I'm usually about to die."_

* * *

The right response to this sudden announcement was up for debate. To be fair, a lot of emotions had to be catalogued in before the _proper response _could be given. There was confusion (I mean, Poseidon suddenly had a_ son_? Was he just born? Right at this moment?), there was happiness (everyone had seen the longing look in his face whenever he spied the gods and goddesses watching their children), slight rage (really? You tell us you have a son, _now_?), and just all around disbelief.

Thankfully, the two heirs of Olympus had no such trouble in cataloguing their own emotions, which was happiness. They were happy for their uncle, at the same time thrilled to have a new addition to their small group.

"Congratulations!" Thalia said with a wide smile as Nico nodded along. "Is it a boy? If it's a girl, tell me it isn't the annoying type!"

"He is… a boy." Poseidon said, sea green eyes distant. Athena's eyes narrowed at the tone, there was something he was not saying. "A boy of mere ten or eleven years in age."

"Ten?" Zeus said in disbelief and Hera pursed her lips. Although she had accepted Thalia and, begrudgingly, Nico, the unfaithfulness of the gods still struck a never in her. "Have you been keeping him a secret from us, brother? Trying to raise him as a secret weapon to turn on us?"

"Father!" Thalia said just as Nico frowned at his uncle. They knew that the king of the gods had issues when it comes to his seat of power, but still this was ridiculous.

"Peace brother." Surprisingly, it was Hades who spoke this time. His dark eyes were trained at Poseidon who looked lost at the moment, no doubt trying to see with his powers the state of the boy he claimed his son. "This is Poseidon we are talking of, he is not that underhanded and most certainly not _me_. He may have had his reasons to keep the boy hidden and to suddenly blurt out his existence in the middle of the meeting."

"Or else, he did not know of the boy's existence until now." Athena injected as most of the Olympians turned to her. "It is a possibility, if we take into account his own surprise."

"Uncle, is this true?" Dionysus was the one who asked out of curiosity.

The Sea god sighed and sat back in his throne, massaging his temples, "It is. I have not known I had a son until now. My last er-" He gave a wary look in Hera's direction, "Conquest was of a woman named Sally Jackson. I did not think that our meeting bore fruit. Amphitrite found out eventually and- I never saw her again after that one night."

"One night stand? Never thought you were the sort, uncle!" Ares gave the earthshaker a roguish grin." The king of the Seas frowned as Hermes smiled at the false accusation and interrupted.

"Well, this is all well but I prefer to see the boy myself if it's alright? Hestia?" Hermes inquired softly to the goddess by the hearth.

The young girl smiled as her eyes burned with the warmth of Olympus. She raised her hands, effectively spreading the flame upwards as everyone gazed into it.

Poseidon's grasp on the arm of his throne tightened as his brief vision of his son flashed in front of them. Except this time, without the disbelief and surprise clouding his senses, he was able to see that something was terribly, _terribly _wrong.

"Oh!" He heard Aphrodite gasp from somewhere.

The scene showed of an alley near the docks. A thin boy with dark mussed up hair and green eyes, swollen black and blue was shivering and coughing as he sat on the cold pavement.

"Is that-?" Thalia's small voice registered before it abruptly stopped as she swallowed thickly. "Uncle, that's-"

"It can't be because of the monsters." Hephaestus grunted, "He's ten you say? But those wounds don't seem like they come from monsters."

The young boy with Poseidon's face tried to stand up, wincing at his movement as he rubbed at his eyes in irritation.

"We should-" Dionysus looked highly uncomfortable, "Shouldn't we do something?"

Ares grumbled, "Kid's tough." He said when the young boy of Poseidon winced but gritted his teeth as he tried to stand properly despite the many wounds on his knees.

"Hermes." Hera said in a clipped tone, but her eyes were tinged in something close to concern. "Go offer him your assistance."

Hermes nodded hastily, disappearing on the spot as everyone kept their eyes trained on the flames. Hestia was frowning herself, as she looked at the scene unfolding.

Almost instantly, a shadow appeared by the alley. Hermes was wearing a postman outfit an umbrella on hand, probably an attempt not to scare the young boy. He rounded the corner and was not surprised to see Poseidon's son, struggling to stand up. He offered a wary smile as his blue eyes scanned the lad from head to toe.

"Hey, boy, would you want some help there?" Hermes stepped forward just as the dark-haired boy turned to him. When he was close enough he placed a hand inside his bag and produced a thermos filled with a small amount of nectar to help him heal. "I have something here that can help with your pain-"

However before he could finish the sentence, the small version of Poseidon straightened and limped _through_ him as though he wasn't there.

Hermes dropped the thermos just as all the watching Olympians eyes, widened.

Artemis stood up and placed a hand on the flames. "Hermes, come back immediately." And just like that, the god disappeared from the alley and reappeared in the throne room, panting.

"What was _that_?" Nico demanded in surprise and disbelief. "Was he- Is uncle's son _dead_? Is he- Is he a ghost?" He glanced at his father, whose black eyes were wide. Hades shook his head and exchanged looks with Zeus.

"The boy does not believe in gods." Zeus said and he turned his old eyes to Poseidon who had buried his face in his hands. "In _any_ gods. We cannot intervene or guide him at all."

"But-" Thalia protested as he turned to the flames which were slowly going back to its normal size. "We have to help him! We have to do _something_!"

"True, the boy must be turned immortal or else," Demeter nodded gravely, "He will be the one in the prophecy and by his state, I do not think he would be fit in making _any_ decision."

"But what can we do?" Aphrodite said, looking at her fellow gods.

Athena was the one who answered, her stormy gray eyes turning to look at both Nico and Thalia, "Simple. We make him believe."

Poseidon lowered his hands, turning to look at the wisdom goddess, "How do you propose such a feat?"

"We will send the heirs of Olympus to deal with him personally, to convince him." Athena said calmly as everyone settled down and turned to her. "Thalia and Nico will be sent to the mortal world to retrieve their cousin."

"NO!" Zeus and Hades said at once, causing almost everyone to jump in surprise. Thalia and Nico, who were surprised by the sudden offered plan, turned to their fathers in curiosity and at the same time, defiance.

"There are many monsters who will be after them." Zeus said in a grumble, "Even if they are immortal, they can still get injured."

"And their scents are extremely potent and powerful, monsters within a ten-mile radius would be attracted to them." Hades said with a glare.

"Do you have a better idea?" Athena challenged and the two immediately quieted.

"And what do you say about this plan, uncle?" Apollo asked the sea God who had become quiet.

"I do not wish harm on my niece and nephew," Poseidon said tiredly, "But if they can help my son in _any _way then-" He turned helpless sea green eyes towards his brothers.

"Husband," Hera said as she placed a gentle hand on Zeus' arm. "I think it is up to Thalia and Nico to decide whether they want to help their uncle. After all, we owe your brother as much, don't we?"

"Frankly, I don't see the problem." Ares said as he crossed his arms, "These two are definitely strong enough to handle any monsters. They've, after all, being trained by me personally."

"But it is still up to them." Hermes said, he sounded tired from being walked through by Poseidon's boy. "They can think of this as a quest of sorts. I will help in any way I can. I'll find information about uncle's son."

Hades finally turned his sight away from his brother and looked at his son, "So? What is your answer? Will you go despite my objections, Nico?"

Nico and Thalia exchanged a quick look and a nod. They had always been close ever since Thalia had been turned immortal and through the past years they had strengthened their bond, easily being able to read each other through movements and eye contact.

"We'll go." Nico said as Thalia gave them all a stubborn glare. "We'll do it for uncle and his son, at least."

"And I know you don't like hearing this, dad. But try to imagine yourself in uncle's shoes. What would you do?" Thalia turned her electric blue eyes to her father's, who sighed.

"You are stubborn." Zeus said with fond exasperation. He cleared his throat and said, "Very well, you have my blessing. We will help with the preparations and in a week's time you will be sent to the mortal world. Hermes do your best to gather information, Artemis and Apollo help them pack the necessary supplies, Ares train them as best as you can for the next several days, Hephaestus upgrade their weapons, Aphrodite you can help in making them appear as mere mortals, and Dionysus-"

The wine god nodded as though he read his father's mind, "Yes, I'll inform Chiron. He can pose as a History teacher there and maybe help in pounding some Greek history into the brat's head."

"Very well." Zeus noted the expression of relief in Poseidon's face before he turned to them, "Any objections or questions?"

The Olympians murmured a negative.

"Then we can be dismissed." Zeus said as thunder rumbled and pretty soon most of the Olympians were gone on their preparations.

"We'll start training later. Aphrodite and I have somewhere to go." Ares said to Nico and Thalia as said goddess linked her arms with him.

The two heirs nodded as they turned their heads towards their fathers who had turned towards Poseidon.

"Thank you brothers." The Sea god said heartily, "You do not know, how much this means to me."

"Trust that my son and Zeus' daughter will be able to guide him where we can't. Once he has seen sense, you can speak with him." Hades said quietly.

"Yes." Poseidon sighed, "I must go now, please send Hermes to my palace once he has gathered information. I wish- I want to know why my son is in such a state."

"Of course." Zeus said in a serious tone as the Earthshaker vanished into air. The two gods turned to Nico and Thalia who had been listening on the sidelines.

"We will not fail you. We'll make uncle's son believe at the very least." Thalia said confidently and with a smile. Nico just nodded beside her, looking young despite the fact that he was older by four decades.

"Of course you will." Hades nodded as though it was already decided. "Protect your cousin as well as you can in the next few weeks."

"Yes," Nico agreed, "We owe uncle Poseidon at least that much."

* * *

_A week later…_

Two kids entered the halls of Yancy Academy, a private school for trouble kids in upstate New York. Most kids and adults paused as they entered that halls, obsidian and electric blue eyes taking in their surroundings with practiced ease as they made their way to the administration office where a certain centaur awaited to greet them.

"Aphrodite did a good job in making sure we fit in." Thalia complimented the goddess of beauty under her breath as she gave a steely glare to the older kids that were looking at them funny. The two of them were wearing a pair of comfortable jeans and t-shirt instead of the traditional Greek clothing and armor back in Olympus. To Aphrodite's horror, they both picked the color black, refusing to back down when she forced them towards brighter ones. The lady of the doves had to make do, choosing them stellar t-shirts and jeans despite the dull color, making them stand out slightly in the crowd of students.

"I can't believe that she made us change outfits twelve times before we left." Nico grumbled, "And add to that, we look like twelve-year-olds again!"

"Oh the horrors of undergoing puberty twice." Thalia smirked, "We're eleven by the way, not twelve. Don't blow your cover. And besides, it's just the mist. Hecate just adjusted it so we look like eleven-year-olds _to them_. Technically we're still the awesome teen immortals we were before."

"Right." Nico said with a frown and Thalia couldn't help but muss up his hair in affection. "Hey! I'm older than you, you know!"

"You became immortal at fourteen, I was _fifteen_." The Sky princess said in a singsong voice, to the annoyance of her cousin. Just as the Underworld prince was about to reply, a certain person in a motor wheelchair interrupted them.

"Ah, you must be the new students." A middle-aged man with thinning brown hair, bushy eyebrows, and intense brown eyes greeted them knowingly.

"Yep." Thalia said as she extended her hand, "Nice to finally meet you, Chi-"

"Mr. Brunner. The name's Mr. Brunner, you may call me 'sir'." Chiron interrupted Thalia who flushed once she realized what she was about to say. Nico flashed his cousin a look that seemed to say 'look who's blowing our cover now'. "You must be Ms. Thalia Grace. I've met your father." His brown eyes twinkled in amusement before he turned to Nico, "And you-"

"Nico Di Angelo, pleasure Mr. Brunner." The young prince said, shaking his hand as well.

"Yes, yes indeed. Well, I'm the new History teacher here." Chiron explained his role. "Unfortunately, the old one decided to go on retirement, which is very odd since he was just twenty-five from what I heard."

Thalia tried to hide her grin as she said knowingly, "Yes, very odd indeed." Nico had to elbow her on the side to prevent her from giggling.

"So, I have your schedules here and your dorm assignments." The centaur handed them a couple of papers, "Your bags had already been sent over a few hours ago. Curfew is at nine, if you're seen outside your rooms beyond that, detention for a week." He said with a twinkle in his eyes that seemed to say, 'so you better not get caught'. "Your first class is History with me, which will begin in a few minutes. I'll be assigning a student to tour you around later, but for now, it's best if you follow me so I can introduce you to your classmates."

The old teacher turned towards the door as the two demigods immediately followed.

"I'm sorry you aren't given time to adjust to your new dorms, but seeing as you transferred in the middle of the school year, the teachers thought it best to get you started right away." The disabled teacher said, although this was not true. It was actually the gods who decided to get them to work quickly the moment they arrived.

"We don't mind." Nico said honestly as they kept up with him down the hall before the centaur veered towards a room.

"Alright, settle down all of you." Mr. Brunner called to the class as he entered. As expected in the school for troubled kids, paper airplanes, spitballs, and loud noises were the first things that greeted Nico and Thalia when they entered. The princess of the Sky could almost imagine her stepmother up in Olympus frowning in disgust at the display. After all, the Olympians were watching their progress.

"Mike, that's detention for you, what did I say about sticking spitballs in Molly's hair?" The hero trainer said without even looking up from where he was.

"But-!"

"Sebastian, get that pencil out of your nose or I'll stick it somewhere it hurts." Chiron warned again. A few people laughed while 'Sebastian' groaned in annoyance. "Now, settle down all of you, don't you want to meet the new transfer students?"

At the words 'transfer students' everyone became surprisingly quiet as they turned their sights on Thalia and Nico. Almost immediately, there were hesitant sounds of chairs being dragged and sit on as the History teacher gestured for the two demigods to join him in the center front of the class.

Chiron nodded at them in affirmation.

"Hi there, name's Thalia Grace nice to meet you." The punk-haired girl said with a smile as narrowed electric blue eyes scanned the classroom full of kids. She stopped searching when she caught sight of a certain dark-haired teen with green eyes by the window. _There._

"Nico Di Angelo." The prince of the Underworld introduced himself briefly as he followed his cousin's gaze without being noticed. They didn't look at each other but the way their bodies shifted already communicated their messages.

Thankfully, Chiron had already set up empty seats beside their target, making it easier for them to corner him.

"Hey, are you two in a relationship or something?" A crude boy siting on the front gave Thalia a wink, making the princess scowl at him. Somewhere outside, thunder rumbled. Chiron looked out of the window warily.

"We're cousins." Nico said patiently to the vulgar minded kid.

"Oh really? Did your parents send you here then, because you're in a relationship with your cousin?" A girl snorted in disgust as the rest of the class laughed.

"No," Thalia said, her eyes narrowing, "We were sent here to teach idiots like you a lesson."

Somewhere in Olympus, Ares was shouting an 'Atta girl!' for Thalia's sass.

Chiron cleared his throat when the sky outside began to darken and Nico nudged at his companion to keep her emotions in place.

"Enough of that, now Ms. Grace and Mr. Di Angelo, you will both be sitting next to Mr. Jackson. Mr. Jackson raise your hand please." The centaur called out.

Perseus Jackson, more preferably known as 'Percy ', raised his hand without looking at the new students. Obsidian and electric blue eyes gazed at him unashamedly as they approached their new desks. As they closed the distance, the son and daughter of the eldest gods catalogued the worn out appearance of their unknowing youngest cousin.

He seemed withdrawn and pale, the bruises fading into his skin but still visible to their eyes. His legs seemed to be in an uncomfortable position, maybe sprained or swelling they couldn't tell. Thalia reached out to tug at Nico's sleeve and the eldest prince nodded at her worry.

They were going to help fix him and bring him back to Olympus to Poseidon.

The two of them sat on their respective seats, Nico behind Percy and Thalia on his left. They gave a sideway glance at each other and Thalia spoke first.

"Hi, my name's Thalia, what's yours?" The heir of Olympus introduced herself in a low tone, nothing but an act _not_ to get in trouble. She doubted Chiron would reprimand them even if they were shouting.

Sea green eyes, so very much like her uncle's, turned toward her. Encouraged, Nico spoke up too.

"And I'm Nico, her cousin." The Underworld prince inserted himself into the conversation, Percy turned to take a look at him too.

"There's no use introducing yourself you know." A girl whispered to the two transferees. Thalia turned to her with a scowl. "He won't give you a reply no matter what you say."

"How do you know?" Thalia said at the same time Nico injected, "What do you mean?"

The girl inclined her head towards Percy' direction, the young boy already looking away. "He doesn't talk." She replied, relishing the surprise on the two cousins' faces. "At all. Why'd you think he was so quiet?" She mocked as she turned her attention back to Mr. Brunner.

Black and blue eyes turned to Percy immediately at the sudden discovery.

It seemed like they were into more trouble than they thought.

* * *

**Author's notes:** I really want to make drabbles about Nico and Thalia's lives in Olympus before Percy, but we'll get to that in time. I've been busy editing the first three chapters of this fic, so feel free to see the changes. Also, yes, Mr. Brunner can be seen by Percy because he isn't a god, technically he's an immortal human with a horse's arse. Technically, but not really.


End file.
